Release-rigging.



W. P. MURPHY.

RELEASE RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

UNITED. STATES WALTEB r. nearer, or CHICAGO, nmnoxs.

RELEASE-BIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed September 28. 1912. Serial No. 722,853v

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER P. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State oi Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasedtiggmg, of which the following is a specification. I

The object of my invention is to provide a release for car couplers which may be operated automatically to withdraw the locking pin of the coupler in case the draw bar breaks loose from its moorings.

It frequently happens that a draw bar will break loose from its mooring and be pulled with great force from the car and dropped on the track thereby causing great damage to the track and presenting a cause for a possible accident all of which is obviated by the use of my invention.

In' the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the end of a car, broken away, to which my improved rigging is applied, the parts thereof being in normal position. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the parts in abnormal position. Fig. 3 is a detail frontdelcvation of the rigging showing the relative position of the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4.- is a detail front elevation showing the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the operating crank and pin lever. the lever being in transverse section, the dotted circle showing the abnormal position of the pin lever.

The reference numeral 1 designates a our broken away, 2 the deadwood, 3 the coupler head. l the knuckle, 5 the draw bar, 6 the locking pin. and 7 the carry iron, all of which may be of any approved construction.

The hand operated rod or le er 8 is rev olubly mounted in the brackets 9 on the end of the car and is provided with a depending crank 1) terminating in an operating handle 11 positioned beneath the plane of the un der frame of the car required by the sa l'ctv appliance act. The rod 9: is formed of commercial rod wrought iron, pr( -.feral'ily, and is bent to form a lever or pin lever car-- rying mrmlnar at its inner end and comprisa lever 12 evtcmlingr at right angles hoiiamntally from the rod rs and deflected sio -nurml y. or olisct, as at 13 to form a.

scitamiall right angle abutment 14-. and

a s al-utment l5 nearer the outer end (if th or which is g: ven an inclination toward the outer end of the lever g! a right angle, thereby forming a slide way to be hereinafter referrml to. The outer end of the lever 12 is bent at rightangles, in the direction of the rod 8, to connecting member 16 thence rearwardly toward the rod 25 to form an arm 17, the inner end of which is bent upwardly at right angles to :form a stop 18 through which a cotter pin 19 is passed.

The pin lever 20 is bent at its outer end to form an eye 21 (see Figs. 3 and 4) which is of such diameter as. compared with the diameter of the arm 17 that it may readily slide on said arm without binding thereon. The inner end of the pin lifting lever 20 is reduced in diameter as at 22 so that it may slide easily in the eye of the locking in 6 whereby the coupler may move sidcwlse to and from its normal central position without binding the parts. The inner end of the pin lever 20 is bent to form a book 28 to prevent the le. er from being accidentally disengaged trom the locking pin. The cotter pin it) prevents the eye trom accidentally slipping oil the arm 17.

Normally the liifiting lever 20 rests in the depression of the lever 19- with its I eye 21 mounted on the arm 17 so that when it is desired to release the knuckle 4 the rod 8 is revolved by the handle 11 and crank 10 whereupon the lever 12 is elevated carrying with it the pin lifting lever which in turn elevates the locking pin 6 thereby releasing the knuckle 4. As soon as the handle 11 is released, it together with the lever 12 returns to the normal poU ion shown in Fig. l leaving the pin liltinglevor in its abnormal position. Now in coupling the knuckle of another car moves the knuckle 4 into locked position whereupon the locking pin (3 drops to locked position thereby locking the two couplers together. When the pin drops it carries with it the lever 20 to the position shown in. Fig. 1.

Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, and assuming that the draw bar has broken away from its moorings and moved to the position shown in Fig. :12, in which position it is still supported by the carry iron 7 and thereby prorented from dropping to the track. the op 'clzillfill will he as follows: As soon as the draw bar breaks away from its mrmrings, it begins to slide endwise on the carry iron, marry ng with it the p n lifting lever 20 which slid s on the depressed portion l3 of the lever 19 while the eye 21 slides on the arm 17, continued movement of the draw bar causes the lever 20 to slide up the inclined abutment 15 to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5 whereupon the inner end of the lever is elevated automatically to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus elevating the locking pin thereby unlocking the knuckle l and freeing the other coupler head. thus preventing the draw bar from being entirely drawn from the car, and leaving it still supported by the carry iron.

The right angle abutment 14- on the lever 12 prevents backward movement of the pin lever during the operation of the device.

I shall, at times, in the claims refer to the lever 12 and arm 17 as a carrying member for the sake of brevity. 1 shall, also refer to the rod 8 as a horizontally rotatable rod also I may refer to the lever 20 as a second rod.

What I claim is:--

1. In a release rigging, av horizontally rotatable rod, a lever, a lever arm connected thereto, said lever arm comprising two connected parts, a second rod pivotally connected to one of said portions and slid-able longitudinally thereof and having a sliding engagement with the other portion of said lever arm.

2. In a release rigging, a horizontally rotatable rod, a lever and an arm connected to said rod, a beveled abutment on said lever, and a pin lifting lever loosely mounted on said arm and having sliding engagement therewith and also having sliding engagement with the first named lever, whereby said pin lifting lever may be slid along said arm and said lever into engagen'ient with said inclined abutment and be elevated thereby at one end.

In an uncoupling rigging, a horizontally rotatable rod tern'iinating at its inner end in a lever at right angles thereto which is deflected downwardly for a portion of its length to form a slideway terminating at one end in a right angle abutment and-at its other end in an inclined abutment, an arm integral with and parallel to said lever, and a pin lifting lever pivoted to and slidable on said arm and. having a, sliding engagement with said first named lever.

4. In an uncoupling rigging, a horizontally rotatable rod terminating at its inner end in a forwardly extending lever provided with a downwardly extendedoti'set, having a forwardly inclined front wall, an arm integral with and extending parallel to said lever and toward said rod, a stop on the end of said arm, and a pin lifting lever pivetally and slidabIy mounted on said arm and also slidably mounted on the first named lever and normally lying in the said offset.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER P. MURPHY.

Witnesses:

IIARRY \V. S'raxxano. Jossrmsa A. Haarrvnrr 

